10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 207

North America Birds Owls Canada 207

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow is innovative, fascinating, and challenging. The guide covers 520 species of birds regularly found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, including, interestingly, a number of exotic species. But, first the basics.

North America 166

North America America Sparrows Birds 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Bufflehead ( Bucephala albeola ) Female at Cavity Entrance photos by Larry Jordan “Some 85 species of North American birds excavate nesting holes, use cavities resulting from decay (natural cavities), or use holes created by other species in dead or deteriorating trees. Notice the chick in the upper left corner.

North America 212

North America America Barn Owls Fur 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America. So let’s look at this sampler, shall we? So let’s look at this sampler, shall we?

America 262

America Arizona North America Texas 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

elegans ) are the largest rails in the Americas. Their taxonomic status long has been unclear due to their overall similarity and the fact that in eastern North America and Cuba, they hybridize. King Rails occur widely in eastern North America, in eastern and central Mexico, and in Cuba.

Species 216

Species Cuba North America Louisiana 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2024

I have mixed feelings about ranking different bird species. Bird long enough in North America, and you will eventually meet the Empidonax flycatchers: 14 small flycatchers, most of which are very nearly identical. In this very rainy year, there’s a whole lot of breeding going on.)

Livestock 205

Livestock Sparrows Birds North America 205

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2024

Bald Eagle Species Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Status In Alaska: Breeding resident. Endangered Species list in 2007. Steller’s Sea-Eagle Species Name: Haliaeetus pelagicus. Golden Eagle Species Name: Aquila chrysaetos. Status in Alaska: Breeding Residents. It is recent as of 2024. Body Length: 27.5

Alaska 207

Alaska Eagles Bald Eagle Deer 207

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2013

Unlike the more common American Goldfinch, the Lesser Goldfinch’s ( Spinus psaltria ) plumage does not change color during breeding season. The female Lesser Goldfinch can sometimes be confused with the female American Goldfinch in breeding plumage. Both of these species show gregarious flocking behavior except when nesting.

California 164

California Species Oregon North America 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

The Sinaloa Martin is a large swallow, which seems to breed only along a narrow band of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Durango, Nayarit, and Jalisco. It sports the intense purple back and head of its close relative, the Purple Martin , which is found in much of North America (summer) and South America (winter).

Mexico 209

Mexico South America 2020 America 209

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2024

When a birder uses the word, we usually refer to a species that canbe mostly or exclusively found in a single country. Which means that the large country of Mexico boasts (according to one list) 127 endemic bird species, while the famous birders’ destination of Costa Rica has only 6. It doesn’t seem fair at all.

Costa Rica 183

Costa Rica Mexico Lions North America 183

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2024

The species is listed as Vulnerable – the estimated number of individuals is 4600-5100 (HBW), of which about 2000 winter on Hokkaido. Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709 – 1746) was a German-born naturalist, though it seems he spent most of his (shortish) adult life in Russia, participating in the exploration of the North Pacific region.

Eagles 130

Eagles Sea Lions Russia Bears 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

Nor have I chased particular birds, either: almost all the birds I have seen have been encountered during a normal day’s birding, not a targeted twitch for a particular species. A lone Whooper Swan on a grey January day in Norfolk As for the ducks – I’m now up to 15 species.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Cyprus 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2024

Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. This was only my fourth encounter with the species (all on the east side). It was by far my best (and longest) view of this species.

Mexico 192

Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 192

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

What are the best field guides for birds in North America? Birders often venture into various habitats, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, or coastal areas, to encounter different bird species. The primary objective of birding is to identify bird species based on their physical characteristics, behavior, and vocalizations.

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For ornithologists, it is the documentation of a multi-year project designed to record the distribution and abundance of birds in a specific area (in North America, usually a state or a province), utilizing a mapping method involving blocks and grids.

Pennsylvania 226

Pennsylvania Breeding Sparrows Birds 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2014

Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the “Rufa” population of Red Knot ( Calidris canutus rufa ) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia. Photo: Ron Knight.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2020

May migration in many parts of eastern North America was and is an amazing natural celebration. Yes, the birding is truly exciting but we just don’t have the annual parade of breeding plumaged, singing warblers, grosbeaks, and orioles. In Costa Rica, this species is common in various middle elevation forest habitats.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Panama Nashville Baltimore 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

In June, I visited North Dakota for the first time. Like any birder visiting a new place, I had a target species list I was hoping to seek out during the one day I had available between business commitments. They had two world-class datasets on which to draw the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and the North American Breeding Bird Survey.

Species 174

Species Los Angeles Science 2000 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. The latter figure very significant when you remember that many breeding passerines depend on the humble caterpillar to feed themselves and their offspring. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology.

North America 263

North America Wildlife Mammals Breeding 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Dale Dyer put in years working on his paintings for Birds of Central America , both in the field and in the museum. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Not every bird.

Costa Rica 210

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

Heermann’s Gulls form large breeding colonies on arid islands in the Gulf of California, Mexico, from March through July. The largest colony exists on Isla Raza, where an estimated 90–95% of the total world population breeds 1. This photo by Basar from Wikipedia Commons shows the adult in breeding plumage. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBX_tlHySc.

San Francisco 158

San Francisco North America Seals Sanctuary 158

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2019

One of the ironies of birding in North America is that the easiest way to see many species that breed on the shores of the Arctic Ocean is to go to tropical coastlands. Marbled Godwits, like the Willets shown above, breed on the northern Great Plains. Only their reflections give any sense of the beach beneath them.

North America 121

North America Mexico Breeding America 121

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

Perhaps one of my reasons for going to the lake was that it guarantees more species in one day than any of my other sites. But I am also always eager to get a better handle on the migration dates for our wintering species, and April is a great month for that. How on earth do they breed so quickly up north?)

Mexico 164

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 164

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Our big month of bird movements in Costa Rica, the 10th month of the year, is when most of the swallows, Scarlet Tanagers , thrushes, and other species on the South American express push through. How do they compete with resident species? In October, it’s what’s happening in Costa Rica. What do they eat?

Costa Rica 260

Costa Rica Nicaragua Panama North America 260

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

There are not, as far as I know, any plans to re-name the Montagu’s Harrier, a bird that’s now a real rarity in the UK that only occasionally breeds here. North America has far more birds named after people than we do in Europe, where’s there is only around 50, and most of those are scarce or restricted in range.

Falcons 220

Falcons Wounded 2003 Killing 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2016

The Mew Gull is the smallest of the “white-headed” gulls in North America, where it was formerly known as the Short-billed Gull. Maybe because there are 27 species, some of which take four years to attain adulthood and then some of the larger gulls cross breed! Click on photos for full sized images.

California 174

California Alaska North America Breeding 174

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Of the 300 hummingbird species across the globe, North America only sees fewer than two dozen of them. Then, I learned that over 400 species of birds have been identified in and around these islands. With a bit of luck the Texas Gulf just might have several of our favorite hummingbird species.

Texas 174

Texas Alaska North America America 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

The Brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican are closely related and once were considered the same species. Brown Pelicans in non-breeding plumage. The Brown Pelican occurs in both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America and northern South America. Peruvian Pelican in non-breeding plumage.

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Chile 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2015

They fly from extreme northern North America to the southern tip of South America and are seldom seen perched during migration. Another cool fact was learning that the Barn Swallows has started to breed in South America since the 80s. What prompted this amazing change is still unknown. Photo: Alfredo Begazo.

South Dakota 167

South Dakota South America North America Wyoming 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2012

There cannot be many ABA area breeding birds harder to get than those that only breed on the remotest tips of the north of North America and then fly off to places that aren’t on the major continental flyways. They do turn up on the coast of North America, but not often.

Fiji 180

Fiji North America Hawaii America 180

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2014

They are listed as a Species of Special Concern in Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and as Threatened in California. Each autumn, nearly the entire breeding population of the Swainson’s Hawk migrates from the temperate zone of North America to wintering areas in South America. But that is another story.

Nevada 160

Nevada Utah Oregon North America 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2020

Out of the approximately 26 species of snipes worldwide, two have been recorded on Trinidad. The trouble begins with the recognition of the fact that both species of snipe were formerly part of a single species – Common Snipe ( Gallinago gallinago ). Any snipe is a good snipe, they say. Only one has been seen on Tobago.

Trinidad 266

Trinidad Welfare North America Emotional 266

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. The invasive species are few, but, unfortunately, very numerous. But there is a final group of species here, about which I have not written very much.

Mexico 191

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 191

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

This being an uncommon species in upstate New York, I appreciate having an abundance of Cliff Swallows to look at. Bank and Barn Swallows also migrate through in huge numbers, maybe even the majority of the individuals of these common species that breed in North America. Swallows Everywhere.

Costa Rica 318

Costa Rica West Virginia New York Panama 318

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The Bank Swallow ( Riparia riparia ) is North America’s smallest swallow. The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. The main reason for this rapid decline, as in the case of most species, is loss of habitat.

North America 187

North America 2014 California America 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

The Blue-winged Teal ( Anas discors ) is not that common in California except along the coast, so I was pretty excited to discover several pair and a few non-paired individuals of the species at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge on the day I had reserved photo blind #2. References: 1 Birds of North America Online.

Sacramento 151

Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 151

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

The hope and claim is that transferring this process to gull identification works more easily and just as accurately (at least for species) as an examination of plumage and molt patterns. Species Accounts. Gulls Simplified covers 25 species. From the Laughing Gull species account. These vary according to species.

North America 198

North America El Salvador America Nicaragua 198